Good morning, gorgeous readers. We have officially entered the home stretch, and that’s not just a clever play on the fact that it’s homecoming week on Idol. No formal power rankings this week because, well, there’s only three hopefuls left, and after the results of the past few weeks, I’d be lying if I told you I had any inkling of how this is all going to shake out anyhow.
3 x 3
As is customary, each hopeful will get not one, not two, but three chances to win your votes on tomorrow’s live performance show. Though not officially announced, it is assumed that tradition will prevail and each contestant will sing one song of their own choosing, one the judges choose, and one selected by the presiding mentor (in this case, Jimmy Iovine). So what does that mean? Well, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. I’ve been very impressed by Jimmy Iovine this season – the man clearly gets it, and I am not the least bit worried about his song selections. The hopefuls, when left to their own devices, have been hit or miss (though I’d worry most about Haley in that regard, as her early Top 10 choices were a disaster).
And the judges choice, well that’s a total wild card. Remember when poor, poor Season 7 Top 3 hopeful Syesha Mercado got the shaft when her judges choice song was “Hit Me Up” – the theme from the animated penguin flick Happy Feet?
You can’t help but wonder if the judges/producers don’t try to sway the finale pairing with this song pick each season. Season 7, for example, was all about the Davids (Cook & Archuleta), and many viewers turned an appropriately wary eye towards poor Syesha’s song that evening. Keep an eye on this tomorrow – we might get a good idea of who the producers want in the showdown next week.
Speaking of conspiracy theories…
Have you noticed a theme with Haley lately? She gets absolutely chopped apart by the judges after her first performance, and they build her back up like the pyramids at Giza after her second go-round, creating this air of an underdog. But is Haley really an underdog, or do the producers just smell a storyline they like? I realize my own bias here, as I believe Haley should have been gone weeks ago, but you can’t help but see a pattern forming there.
So the big question – can Haley actually win this thing? If you had asked me weeks ago, I would have asked you what pills you were taking, and where I could get some of my own. But if you look at the results objectively (ew), I cannot deny Haley’s resiliency. She has formed some connection with the viewers and it is really paying off here in the late rounds.
The James factor
Another interesting plotline to follow in the final weeks of the show is how the voting shifts when a fan favorite exits. James was an easy fan favorite, and you have to assume that some of his fans will continue to be engaged with the show and voting on the outcome – so where do those votes land? It’s a toss-up, if you ask me, because as the rocker, there is no one else even remotely like James remaining. You could assume that whatever teenage girl vote James was pulling might fall to Scotty, but I don’t think that’s a significant contingent at this point.
See you all tomorrow night for the trio throw down.
